This week from Bunnyville...

Hi ya!

First, I want to thank you for your kind comments on last week's post. Blogging has been part of my life for a very long time now and so much has changed. It's not the number of comments I was concerned with, it was the number of readers. Well that and how many ridiculous "Spam" comments I get from bots that I then have to go and delete. It's so annoying! However,  I decided I will continue on here for a while longer and just see how it goes. It's truly nice to share this little place in my world with you.

So... that being said, here is this week from Bunnyville.

David finished painting the guest bedroom. While he was at it, he also painted my bookcase. It was handmade by a friend 27 years ago. It's real, solid wood. No press board crap! I still love books and enjoy collecting special ones. The afghan at the bottom of the bed was handmade by my dear friend Jade. It's alpaca yarn and is soooooooo warm! I'm designing a pillow for the bed and will be offering it in my shop once I get it done.

My office is the only room left to paint here at Bayfield Cottage. Once it's done, the entire cottage will have been painted inside and out. It sure did need it and we are both really happy with how it looks. My signature, calm, clean and serene.

I actually did my little inchie about my books.  :)

I'm pretty sure I will frame this when I'm done traveling with it. I will probably hang it in my office. It's so much fun going back and looking at them. So many people have been inspired to start their own project.

I added this really nice embroidery stitch guide to my shop.

I also added 16" x 16" pieces of 100% wool felt and

the iron on hexies that I'm using in my "Within an Inch of My Life" project. Hop on over to my SHOP if you would like to get them or some precut hexies and some Valdani too. The bunnies and I truly appreciate your friendship and support of our small business.

This is a little lemon tree my friend Patty gave me. It's been so cold here that I moved it into our bathroom where the sun just pours in. I think it's really happy here in this vintage pewter cup.

Of course, Sabrina knows what do do when it's cold outside. She finds her spot in the sun. She's so funny. She loves to sleep on a towel. Every morning when I make the bed, I have to put her towel on there too. Precious girl.

I was feeding Henry and Hannah this morning when I saw something fly by the window. I looked out to see this beautiful hawk sitting on the fence. It then few over to a tree and joined it's mate. I know they were discussing breakfast options. I told Henry and Hannah they should be very lucky they live inside and were not on the menu! ;)

Finally, I had a scare with Henry on Sunday and again last night. He stopped eating. We bunny parents know that it is not good when rabbits don't eat. It can literally be life threatening. The problem is fur. He has been shedding like crazy. All that nasty, yellow fur has been coming out in clumps. Even though I get tons off of him every day, rabbits groom themselves like cats do. However, unlike cats, they cannot cough up a hairball. Instead, the fur must pass through them, thus the reason they need a lot of hay and water.

I did all my tricks giving him drops for gas, making him run around the studio and syringing water into him. Luckily, that worked both times. This morning he was back to his normal self and I can say that the big shedding is over! Whew! It's always so scary with these fragile little creatures and needless to say, I didn't get much sleep either night. Little bugger.

See ya back here next week!
Michelle and the fuzzy ones

Hoppenings here in Bunnyville

Hi friend! How's your week been so far? Mine is busy but good. I have been thinking about this little old blog again. There use to be a time when I looked at my stats and saw that around 1200 people read my posts. Now.... I'm lucky there are 100. Is blogging just dead? Has Facebook and all other forms of Social Media really taken over? Hmmmm.... we'll see. What do you think?

Anyway, I wanted to share some "hoppenings" going on around here.

I have a small problem... I'm totally addicted to these cookies!!! LOL! They are so good. I eat two of them every day with my tea/coffee break. Sometimes... I eat them for breakfast!!!

My "Within and Inch of My Life" project continues to grow. I love working on this and friends in my Facebook group are having fun too!

Here's the one I did in honor of Dr. King. Love over hate always. I am completely worn out with all of the hate in the world right now. I try my best to focus on good things that we are all blessed with. Some days it's easier than others.

Indeed!

The moon has been so magical the last few nights. It's so pretty when it shines through the bare trees. I love looking at it and making wishes. :)

This is my talented and fun friend, Patty Marsden. She is an excellent seamstress.

This 100% wool coat was given to me by a quilt guild friend. She thought I might like to cut it up for my artwork. Instead, Patty made lots of alterations to make it a petite size and also replaced the lining.

I now have a classic dress coat to wear! I love it with my bunny scarf my sweet friend, Sallieann Harrison, brought me from England.

I actually just took this photo while I was writing this post. Hannah was giving Henry some kisses. Not like she has a choice. He literally just throws himself at her and demands to be groomed. My bunny friends understand this best. ;)

Hugs and see ya next week!

Michelle, the Bunnies and Sabrina kitty too

Hello there!

Well helloooooooooo!

Isn't my camellia pretty? David planted it a few weeks ago. The hurricane destroyed the shrubs I had here so I replaced it with this beauty. It's going to be even prettier when it gets big and is covered in white blooms.

On my walk the other morning, I saw all these white heron at the end of my street. They were having a major breakfast buffet!

My "Within and Inch of My Life" project continues to grow. I love my stitching time each day. I have been stitching since March 28 (the day after my 50th birthday) and haven't missed a day yet. I always stitch what stood out to me the day before. I stitched the white herons one day.

After giving it one last "horrah" at 50 of trying to have long hair, I decided to call it quits and go back to where my hair does best, which is a shoulder length bob. I had five inches cut off and I'm really happy with it.

I had the most wonderful time with the Charlottesville Area Quilters Guild. What a fun and lovely group of friends. I was invited to teach at their retreat at Smith Mountain Lake, which is a five hour drive from my home. My trip was cut short by an evening as there was a MAJOR snow and ice storm on the way. I literally had a tiny window of opportunity to leave before I would have been snowed in for a few days. So while I was exhausted and the thought of a five hour drive in the dark after a full day of work was not appealing, I knew I needed to go. This little beach bunny does not know how to drive in the snow and all the local people there said the country roads are much too dangerous with the ice. So off I went.

I collect "Bunny Ear" photos from my students wherever I teach. hee,hee,hee

I take a lot of gear with me when I teach. My students only have to bring two pair of scissors to class. I bring everything else. When I'm able to drive, I tend to pack lots of stuff. :)

Then, when I get back home, I count all the the inventory and repack it for the next adventure. It usually takes me a few days. Don't ya just love looking at all that Valdani? My students get just as excited as I do over all these nuggets of fun! :)

By Sunday afternoon, I ran out of steam and like the bunnies, I decided to take a much enjoyed nap.

See ya back here next week!

Hugs and friends,
Michelle and the fuzzies

A Quick Hop In

Hi my friend! Hannah here. I'm hopping in really quick for Mama this week as she is getting ready to hit the road and head out on her first "Play Date" of the year. She's super excited to be spending some time with the Charlottesville Quilters at their retreat. She was suppose to teach for them in September, but Hurricane Florence had other plans for her and us! ;) They were kind enough to rebook her at their retreat and I know they will have lots of fun!

Henry and I are friends, but I still like to have my own room. I'm old and set in my ways and that teenage boy can be a bit much sometimes. Plus, I really like having my own potty. When he uses mine, he gets in there and digs and makes a large mess....juvenile.  I prefer things to be tidy.

Mama is fine with me having my own room in our condo. When Daddy snores at night, she wishes she had her own room.

She likes to hang out with us in the living room. We all agree it's the best part of the day.

Sunday is laundry day here at Bayfield Cottage. It's also known as Sabrina's favorite day of the week.

That cat has a thing for towels. Mama now puts a towel on the bed just for her.

Henry and I try to be friends with Sabrina, but she's a chicken and runs out of the room with her tail all puffed up! Crazy thing!

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Mama will be back here next week with some photos from her gig.

Bunny hugs to you!
Hannah

A Hop through Bunnyville

Well hellooooooooo and Hoppy New Year! I must say that I am really happy that 2019 is here. Last year was emotionally rough on me, but like everything, one lives and one learns. I'm headed into this year with fresh eyes and a little bit of sass to boot! LOL!!! ;)

David finished painting my studio! We moved into Bayfield Cottage in April of 2017. Slowly, we have been painting each room and the outside of the cottage too! My studio has had spackle all over for months, but now is fresh and clean and.... I looooooove it! What a wonderful Christmas present he gave me!

So here's a little hop around. As you head up the stairs, Blackie Bunny is there to greet you. He is the keeper of the gate. I pet his head on the way up as a ritual to get the creative energy flowing.

This is how the room looked before we painted. The green grey walls were waaay to dark for my liking. I don't like dark walls, especially in a studio. I need as much light as I can get.

Here's how it looks after a fresh coat of Sherwin Williams, Aged White. I know all the grey colors are in style now, but I'm not one to follow what everyone else is doing. Plus.... grey makes me depressed. I can't stand it. It makes me feel like I'm living in a rain cloud or worse yet, in the middle of a hurricane! LOL! Anyway, I love warm whites and this was the perfect color for my Calm, Clean, Serene aesthetic. I also purchased this kitchen island from a local family. It's custom made, super heavy and solid wood. I use this island to put kits together and package orders. I also sit on the stool and draw here.

This is what the island looked like when I got it. It was a distressed ivory color, which was nice, but I wanted to paint it black to anchor the room.

Sabrina is such a good girl and doesn't jump on any counter tops or furniture she not supposed to be on. She knows what places she is allowed to hang out. She loves this little hidey spot in the basket in the island.

The light coming into this room is absolutely wonderful. I'm going to make something to go in the frames.

As you look around Bunnyville, you will notice that I don't have a lot of "stuff" everywhere. To be honest, I can't function in clutter. I'm claustrophobic and if too much stuff is around, I can't work or be creative. My eye needs to rest on clean surfaces. Also, I practice the art of "Lagom," which means "not too little, not too much." I'm not a minimalist and I'm not a hoarder. I'm simply somewhere in the middle and choose to surround myself with things that have meaning. My supplies are tidy, organized and placed behind closed doors and cabinets.

So that being said, while I have a lot of artwork and gifts from friends, I decided to keep things simple here in Bunnyville, giving me good work surfaces to design and package orders. Here are some things I chose to display.

This hat box was painted for me by my friend Becky Wheeler in 1998. It says, "The Raspberry Rabbits Tea Room." When she gave me this piece, I said, "Oh wow... if I ever have a business, I'm going to call it The Raspberry Rabbits." Now you know where I got the name. ;)

I have always loved and admired the work of folk artist, Jo James of Cart Before the Horse. Years ago, I commissioned her to make this piece for me.

Esmeralda is my muse. She was painted for me by my incredibly talented friend, Jules Woolford. I have a lot of Jules' artwork in my cottage. She is one of my most favorite artists, not to mention a dear friend.

Buddha Bunny was given to me by my friend, Judy Currie. He always brings peace and positive energy to Bunnyville. I rub his belly for luck. ;)

This felted bunny was made by folk artist, Susan Pilotto.  My friend, Margaret Bouwmeester, gave it to me as a gift. Stitched on the pincushion in French, it says, "The Raspberry Rabbit." LOVE!

This tree of life is a new piece of art that I purchased this year. It is handmade by an artisan in Haiti. It is cut from an old oil barrel.

Ortega the bunny is an original piece of folk art I found in Savannah, GA. It's signed by the artist, Joe Ortega. The paper cut is a gift from my friend Lydia. I had it professionally framed by my friends, Mary Ann and Mary Kay. There is also a little wooden box from my friend, Sallieann Harrison.

Here's a close up of the little box,  I just love it.

Another treasured paper cut from Lydia, Charlie the rabbit sitting on my box of dreams, an antique pincushion and a real ivy plant. I prefer real plants or dried flowers over plastic "fish tank" looking greenery.

David bought this lamp for me many years ago for our anniversary. The plant is also real. It's baby tears. The pincushion was made for me by my dear friend Donna Liljegren. The coaster is my rabbit logo and was needle punched for me by fellow designer and friend, Missie Carpenter.

Time spent in Bunnyville is always time well spent. I purchased this clock from Pottery Barn Teen many years ago. It broke this summer and I found a company to fix it. It took a month to get it back, but it was worth it. I didn't want to throw it in the landfill. People throw too much away anymore.

Eventually, I will have all the carpet taken out and replaced with wood floors. Yes, carpet is another thing I can't stand. Dirty, dusty and the space between the carpet and baseboard gets so icky and is a pain to clean! Yep... I'm a clean freak. ;)

Thank you for visiting with me and for taking a hop through Bunnyville! I'll see ya back here next week.

Light, love and friends,
Michelle, the Bunnies and Sabrina kitty too